Holder and method of use

ABSTRACT

A method is disclosed for using a holder having first and second clips arranged with their mouths facing substantially the same direction. The first clip is provided with an inner surface which is shaped to hold a cylindrical article and a mouth which is normally open so as to allow the legs of this first clip to be urged apart from each other when such a cylindrical article is pressed against it. The holder is mounted at a designated location on the user&#39;s body by attaching the second clip to a piece of material worn by the user, with the mouth of the first clip facing generally downwardly. A substantially cylindrical article is inserted into the first clip by placing the article against the mouth of this clip and lifting the article upwardly into contact with its inner surface, with the axis of the first clip&#39;s inner surface in a generally horizontal orientation. Preferably, the insertion of the article is performed by balancing it in one of the user&#39;s hands, placing the thumb of that hand on an upwardly facing surface of the holder and lifting the article into the first clip by pulling the article and thumb toward each other.

This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/273,735filed on Jul. 12, 1994, now abandoned.

This invention relates generally to the field of devices for holdingarticles in a position or location where they can be easily accessed,and more specifically to such devices which attach to a belt or otheritem of clothing worn by the user.

BACKGROUND

A wide assortment of tool and accessory holders have been proposed forholding various articles in a desired position or location. For example,in the field of fishing rod holders, many designs may be found in theprior art for resting a fishing rod in a device worn by the user, tofree his hands for purposes such as baiting a hook. U.S. Pat. No.4,569,466 (Webber) discloses a leather fishing rod holder which attachesto the user's belt and provides a closed metal ring at the rear, intowhich the handle of the rod may be inserted behind the reel, and anupwardly open hook at the front for supporting a part of the rod forwardof the reel. Such devices, however, are relatively awkward to use andare limited in their application. Other fishing rod holders, as seen inU.S. Pat. No. 2,846,129 (O'Brien) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,914 (Pothetes)may be somewhat less awkward to use, but are difficult to attach and areunduly complicated and difficult to manufacture.

Numerous other devices have been proposed for holding various articlesin a generally upwardly facing clip attached to a belt or other verticalsupporting surface, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,971 (Goertzen;belt-mounted holder for an archer's bow), U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,072(Jones; belt-mounted hammer holster), U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,248(Pommenville; golfbag-mounted accessory holder for scorecards and othergolf accessories) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,589,126 (Payne; belt-mounted golfclub holder). However, Goertzen and Jones require the user to remove hisbelt in order to attach these holders, and Pommenville and Payne aredesigned so the device may be accidentally dislodged from its attachmentpoint when the article being held is lifted out of its clip. Moreover,none of these designs lend themselves to smooth, fluid motions forinserting and removing the articles to be held.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide animproved belt-mounted holder and method of use which addresses these andother deficiencies in prior art designs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention,a holding device is disclosed which is adapted for mounting to a belt orother item of clothing worn by the user. In one form of the invention, aholder is provided having first and second clips, each having a pair oflegs connected at one end with a mouth at the other end. These clips aredisposed together in back-to-back fashion, with their mouths facingsubstantially the same direction. The first clip has an inner surfacewhich is shaped to hold a cylindrical article, such as a fishing rodhandle, and the mouth of this clip is normally open so as to allow thelegs of the clip to be urged apart from each other when such acylindrical article is pressed against it. The legs of the second clipare substantially parallel and spaced apart at their connected end by adistance less than one half the inner diameter of the first clip.

Another form of the present invention also provides a holder havingfirst and second clips disposed together in back-to-back fashion. Thefirst clip has an inner surface which is shaped to hold a cylindricalarticle, the mouth of this clip being normally open so as to allow thelegs of the first clip to be urged apart from each other when such acylindrical article is pressed against it. The legs of the second clipare substantially parallel and spaced apart by a distance less than onehalf the inner diameter of the first clip. The inner legs of the twoclips are connected by a device which permits the first clip to rotateabout the second clip to any of a number of desired rotational settings.

The present invention also provides a method of using a holder havingfirst and second clips arranged with their mouths facing substantiallythe same direction. The first clip is provided with an inner surfacewhich is shaped to hold a cylindrical article and a mouth which isnormally open so as to allow the legs of this first clip to be urgedapart from each other when such a cylindrical article is pressed againstit. The holder is mounted at a designated location on the user's body byattaching the second clip to an item worn by the user, with the mouth ofthat clip facing generally downwardly. A substantially cylindricalarticle is inserted into the first clip by placing the article againstthe mouth of this clip and lifting the article upwardly into contactwith its inner surface, with the axis of the cylindrical article in agenerally horizontal orientation. Preferably, the insertion of thearticle is performed by balancing it in one of the user's hands, placingthe thumb of that hand on an upwardly facing surface of the holder andlifting the article into the first clip by pulling the article and thumbtoward each other. This method may also be used effectively with asingle clip attached to an item of clothing and facing generallydownwardly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a holder according to the presentinvention attached to a user's belt and holding a fishing rod;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the holder seen in FIG. 1, takenalong line 2--2 of that drawing;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front elevational view of the holder of FIG. 1,including fragmented views of the fishing rod and user's belt;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of a holderaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment of a holderaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmented front elevational view of the holder of FIG. 5,showing an alternate rotational setting of the main clip in phantom, and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a holderaccording to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a holder 101according to the invention, attached to the belt 103 of a user andholding the cylindrical handle 105 of a fishing rod 107, just forward ofreel 108. The present invention is especially well suited for use as afishing rod holder, as most fishing rods in use today have a generallycylindrical handle at their balance point, which fits securely in theholder and balances therein when the user needs both hands, as whenbaiting a hook.

Holder 101 comprises two generally U-shaped clips 109 and 111, as seenin FIG. 2, each having a pair of legs connected at one end with a mouthat the other end, and arranged in back-to-back fashion with their mouths113 and 115 facing substantially the same direction. Holder 101 ispreferably extruded from a resilient plastic, such as DR acrylicplastic, drawn continuously in the shape seen in FIG. 2.

Secondary clip 109 is relatively narrow, comprising two opposed, flat,substantially parallel legs 117 and 119, connected at the top by atightly curved U-shaped portion 121. The distance between outer leg 117and inner leg 119 preferably tapers from 3/16" at the top to 1/8" at thebottom, permitting the secondary clip 109 to snugly engage most belts,which typically vary in width from 1/8" to 1/4". This design alsoenables the secondary clip to grasp onto waistbands, pockets andvirtually any exposed edge of clothing on the user. As used in thisspecification, the term "clothing" shall be construed, in its broadestsense, to include accessories and other items worn by a user.

The outer leg 117 of secondary clip 109 flares outwardly at its distaledge 123, enabling the user to more easily open the mouth 113 whenattaching clip 109 to belt 103. Inner leg 119 is also flared at itsdistal edge 125 in the same direction, for reasons discussed below.

Main clip 111 comprises inner leg 127, which is integral with the lowerhalf of inner leg 119, and outer leg 129, which depends from inner leg119 and curves outwardly therefrom in a relatively broad S-shape. Theinner surface 131 of outer leg 129 defines a cylindrical surface over anarc greater than 180 degrees, as seen in FIG. 2, enabling main clip 111to retain cylindrical handle 105, or a similarly shaped article, withthe mouth 115 of the clip facing downwardly. Preferably, the cylindricalportion of inner surface 131 defines an arc of approximately 210degrees, as seen in the drawing, but this angle may be varied dependingon the stiffness of the material, the weight of the article being heldand the amount of tension desired for insertion and removal of thearticle.

To ensure rapid and smooth insertion of handle 105 in holder 101, mainclip 111 is formed with a wide, open mouth 115 which is designed toallow legs 127 and 129 to be urged apart from each other when acylindrical article is pressed against it, without requiring the user tomanually spread the legs. The clip shown will accommodate cylindricalarticles having a diameter of approximately 7/8" to 1". When such anarticle is placed against mouth 115 with its axis parallel to the axis133 of inner surface 131, the flaring surfaces 135 and 137 just insideof the main clip's distal edges 125 and 139 contact the article atpoints which are sufficiently distant on the curve of its surface tourge legs 127 and 129 apart when upward pressure is applied, allowingthe article to slide past these flaring surfaces and into the clip. Itwill be appreciated that the broad outward flare of outer leg 129 as itapproaches its distal edge 139, and the opposite flare of inner leg 127at its distal edge 125, are designed to widen the mouth 115 of the mainclip and reduce surface friction as a cylindrical article is beinginserted, providing smooth one-handed operation as discussed below.

In operation, holder 101 is mounted at a user's waist level by attachingsecondary clip 109 to belt 103, or to any other piece of material wornby the user having a generally horizontally oriented edge such as a vestpocket, pants pocket or the upper rim of wading gaters. With the holder101 in this normal orientation, the legs of secondary clip 109 aregenerally vertical, the mouth 115 of main clip 111 faces downwardly, andthe axis 133 of inner surface 131 is generally horizontal. As seen inFIG. 2, the distal edge 139 of outer leg 129 extends below the other twolegs of the holder in this normal orientation, and thus will be thefirst thing the user contacts as he lifts his hand up along the side ofhis body towards the open mouth of the main clip. The user balancesfishing rod 107 about handle 105 on the four fingers of his open hand,and lifts his hand along the side of his body until he feels the handlecontact the outer leg of the main clip. He then places the thumb of thathand on the upwardly facing surface 141 of the main clip, seats thehandle in the mouth of that clip and lifts the handle into the clip bypulling the handle and thumb toward each other. Ridges 143 may beprovided along the length of upwardly facing surface 141 to engage theuser's thumb and provide increased friction against that surface.Alternatively, other means of engaging the thumb may be used, such as adepression or a strip of frictional material, as are well known in theart.

After insertion, the rod 107 remains seated in holder 101 while the userbaits his hook or otherwise uses his now-free hands. When he is ready tohold the rod again, he simply grasps the handle and pushes down, freeingit from the main clip and back into normal use. Since the force on theholder is directed downwardly during this operation, it will beappreciated that the rod can be quickly removed without dislodging thesecondary clip 109 from the belt or other piece of clothing to which itis attached.

FIG. 4 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention,formed from a single strip of resilient metal, such as brass. Holder 201comprises a narrow secondary clip 209 and a relatively broad main clip211, arranged in back-to-back fashion with their mouths facingsubstantially the same direction. The main clip has an inner surface 231shaped to hold a cylindrical article, such as a fishing rod handle, andits mouth is normally open and flared at both ends so as to allow thelegs 227 and 229 to be urged apart from each other when such acylindrical article is pressed against it. In this embodiment the innerleg 227 of the main clip is not integral with the inner leg 219 of thesecondary clip, but lies flat against it, connected by bend 225. Theoperation of this holder 201 with a fishing rod handle or othercylindrical article is substantially the same as holder 101.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate another embodiment of the present invention,using two separate clips each formed from a single strip of resilientmetal, such as brass. Holder 301 comprises a narrow secondary clip 309and a relatively broad main clip 311, arranged in back-to-back fashionwith their inner legs 319 and 327 connected by a rivet 345 which permitsthe main clip to rotate to any of a predetermined number of positions,as seen in FIG. 6. The main clip has an inner surface 331 shaped to holda cylindrical article, such as a fishing rod handle, and its mouth isnormally open and flared at both ends so as to urge the legs 327 and 329apart from each other when such a cylindrical article is pressed againstit.

Interlocking bosses 347 may be stamped in a circular pattern so as toextend from the opposed faces of inner legs 319 and 327 toward eachother, providing a predetermined number of detent positions for holdingthe main clip 311 at a desired rotational setting. Other means oflocking the main clip at a desired rotational setting may be provided,as are well known in the art. The operation of this embodiment issubstantially similar to that of the above embodiments when the mouth315 of the main clip is oriented in any of the generally downwardlyfacing rotational settings. When the main clip is oriented in otherrotational settings, a second hand may be needed to stabilize thearticle during insertion.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of the invention which uses a clip411 similar to the main clip 311 seen in FIG. 6, with an extended innerleg 427 for ease of attachment and greater stability. Such a clip may beattached directly to a vest 449 or other item of clothing worn by theuser, as by rivets 451, thread or the like, with its mouth facinggenerally downwardly, and used in a similar manner to the holdersdiscussed above. Alternatively, it may be temporarily attached byinserting it into a deep, close-fitting pocket 453 on such a vest oritem of clothing, so as to be removable when not in use. The clip mayalso be permanently attached to such a pocket for additional support, asseen in the drawing.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that variations maybe made in the disclosed structures and methods without departing fromthe basic principles of the various aspects of this invention. Forexample, the use of a relatively broad main clip with a narrow secondaryclip permits the holder to be used with a wide variety of substantiallycylindrical articles, ranging in diameter from approximately 1/2 to 2",by scaling the size and shape of the main clip accordingly. Whileholders outside of this size range may be useful for some purposes,cylindrical articles outside of this range become difficult tomanipulate in the method of use described above. Similarly, holdersaccording to this invention may be made from aluminum, steel and manyother materials by any manufacturing method known in the art, such ascasting and other well known processes.

It will also be understood that, in addition to fishing rod handles,other substantially cylindrical articles may be conveniently placed andcarried in the holder. Cylindrical cardboard milk caps measuringapproximately 11/2" by 1/4", also known as Pogs™, have recently becomepopular as a variation on children's trading cards. These milk caps arenormally stored in a cardboard tube measuring approximately 8" by 11/2",which is awkward and bulky for children to carry in their pockets. Suchtubes could be used with a holder according to the present invention tofacilitate carrying and easy access.

Many other modifications to the invention disclosed above will beapparent to those skilled in the art, and it should be understood thatthis invention includes all modifications falling within the scope ofthe following claims.

We claim:
 1. A method of securing a fishing rod about a designated pointon a user's body, said rod having a balance point along its length aboutwhich said rod is evenly balanced when held in a generally horizontalorientation, comprising the steps of:providing a generally U-shaped rodclip having a pair of opposed, longitudinally extending legs, each ofsaid legs having an upper and a lower end, the upper ends of said legsbeing connected and the lower ends of said legs being separated so as toform a mouth into which said fishing rod may be inserted so as to restbetween said legs; mounting said rod clip at said designated point withsaid mouth facing generally downwardly; and inserting said fishing rodinto said downwardly facing rod clip at said balance point, with theweight of said rod being fully supported by the pressure of said legsthereon.
 2. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said fishing rodcomprises a cylindrical handle at said balance point, and said insertingstep comprises the step of inserting said cylindrical handle into saiddownwardly facing rod clip with the weight of said rod being fullysupported by the pressure of said legs thereon.
 3. A method as set forthin claim 2, wherein said rod clip has an inner surface between said legswhich is shaped to hold said cylindrical handle, and wherein said mouthis normally open so as to allow the legs of said rod clip to be urgedapart from each other when said cylindrical handle is pressed againstit; andwherein said inserting step further comprises inserting saidcylindrical handle into said rod clip by placing said handle against themouth of said rod clip and lifting said handle upwardly into contactwith said inner surface, with the axis of said cylindrical handle in agenerally horizontal orientation.
 4. A method as set forth in claim 3,wherein said inserting step further comprises the step of balancing saidhandle in a hand of said user, placing the thumb of said hand on anupwardly facing surface of said rod clip and lifting said handle intosaid rod clip by pulling said handle and thumb toward each other.
 5. Amethod as set forth in claim 4, further comprising the step of providingsaid rod clip with means for engaging the user's thumb on said upwardlyfacing surface, andwherein said thumb placement step comprises placingsaid user's thumb on said engaging means.
 6. A method as set forth inclaim 2, wherein said rod clip has an inner surface between said legswhich is shaped to conform to said cylindrical handle over an arcsubstantially greater than 180 degrees.
 7. A method as set forth inclaim 6, wherein the arc over which said inner surface of said rod clipconforms to the shape of said cylindrical handle is approximately 210degrees.
 8. A method as set forth in claim 6, further comprising thestep of providing a mounting clip having a pair of opposed,longitudinally extending legs, each of said legs of said mounting cliphaving an upper and a lower end, the upper ends of said legs of saidmounting clip being connected and the lower ends of said legs of saidmounting clip being separated so as to form a mouth into which an itemof clothing may be inserted so as to rest between said legs of saidmounting clip;said mounting clip being connected to said rod clip inback-to-back fashion with the mouths of both said clips facingsubstantially the same direction; and wherein said mounting step furthercomprises attaching said mounting clip to an item of clothing worn bythe user.
 9. A method as set forth in claim 8, wherein said legs of saidmounting clip comprise two opposed, flat, substantially parallel legsconnected at their upper ends by a tightly curved U-shaped portion, andspaced apart at their upper ends by a distance less than one-half thediameter of said cylindrical handle.
 10. A method as set forth in claim9, wherein the leg of each of said respective clips which is fartherfrom the other clip defines an outer leg, and the leg which is closer tothe other clip defines an inner leg;wherein the inner and outer legs ofsaid rod clip flare away from each other at their respective lower ends;wherein the outer leg of said mounting clip flares away from the innerleg of said mounting clip at its lower end; and wherein the outer leg ofsaid rod clip extends below the other legs of said rod and mountingclips when said back-to-back clips are normally oriented with the legsof said mounting clip generally vertical and the mouth of said mountingclip facing downwardly.
 11. A method as set forth in claim 10, whereinthe inner leg of said rod clip is integral with the inner leg of saidmounting clip.
 12. A method as set forth in claim 11, wherein said rodclip has an inner surface between its legs which is shaped to conform tosaid cylindrical handle, and wherein the mouth of said rod clip isnormally open so as to allow the legs of said rod clip to be urged apartfrom each other when said cylindrical handle is pressed againstit;wherein said inserting step further comprises inserting saidcylindrical handle into said rod clip by placing said handle against themouth of said rod clip and lifting said handle upwardly into contactwith said inner surface, with the axis of said cylindrical handle in agenerally horizontal orientation; wherein said inserting step furthercomprises the step of balancing said handle in a hand of said user,placing the thumb of said hand on an upwardly facing surface of said rodclip and lifting said handle into said rod clip by pulling said handleand thumb toward each other; further comprising the step of providingsaid rod clip with means for engaging the user's thumb on said upwardlyfacing surface, wherein said thumb placement step comprises placing saiduser's thumb on said engaging means; and wherein the arc over which saidinner surface of said rod clip conforms to the shape of said cylindricalhandle is approximately 210 degrees.